


A Buzzing Sound

by Lokisgame



Series: A Buzzing Sound [2]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, X-Files OctoberFicFest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 04:59:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12269388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokisgame/pseuds/Lokisgame
Summary: “Why is your hair wet? Weren’t you supposed to be at the hairdresser?”





	A Buzzing Sound

“Mulder what happened?” Scully stopped sorting through freshly dried clothes and watched him close the door and slip out of his jacket “Why is your hair wet? Weren’t you supposed to be at the hairdresser?”  
“I was” he sat down on the couch, face hidden in hands “I panicked Scully, I ran away”  
“What happened?” She sat next to him and put her arm around his slumped shoulders.  
“I went to the same place as always” he explained, leaning into her without meeting her eyes “old Tony was actually happy to see me. So I sat down, let him wash my hair as usual and everything seemed okay when he started to trim here and there, I sat patiently and listened to the old man spin his stories of neighborhood gossip. I honestly thought it was going to be fine” his breath hitched and she saw his hands shaking.  
“Then he turned on the clipper, and I freaked out, it buzzed by my ear and I couldn’t breathe, I left a few bills on the counter and ran out of the shop”  
It was breaking her heart to see him curled in on himself with his face hidden in her lap. He didn’t cry, but she knew it wouldn’t take much. Mulder didn’t like to feel helpless, to be defeated by his own mind.  
“It’s okay Mulder, it’s okay” she crooned softly, stroking his damp hair and his back “you’re safe now, no one is going to hurt you”  
Scully kept her chant, forcing the fear and memories away. She knew the feeling well, she couldn’t stand even a thought of visiting the dentist for over a year after being returned from her abduction and she still jumped slightly when she heard the drill start. She had to constantly remind herself that she’s present and in control, that it’s just a filling and there’s nothing sinister about it.  
“You’ll have to do it” he mumbled into the small space he was getting used to sharing with her growing baby belly.  
“Mulder” she said slowly, trying to spread out the sting of denial.  
“Please Scully, you’re the only one I can trust right now” he was trying to move closer, as if the baby would somehow back him up.  
“Mulder, I’m a doctor and a pathologist, not a hairdresser”  
He looked up a little hopeful, “It can’t be that hard”  
“Please, you’d look ridiculous for months” trying her best not to make this feel like rejection, she raked her brain for some way to make him look decent again.  
Mulder was always a well groomed man, and she believed that bringing that image back would be a little step to make him feel like his old self again. She wanted to go with him to the hairdresser, but he decided to do this by himself and for himself. Another thing he needed, a sense of self-reliance.  
“I look ridiculous right now, anything’s better than that” he sat up and was holding her hands in both of his, and something about his forlorn look jumpstarted her memory.  
“We could call my mom.” She smiled, realizing again that easiest solutions are sometimes best.  
“Your mom?” Mulder seemed puzzled but open to suggestions.  
“Yes, she used to cut Bill’s and Charlie’s hair when they were young” the image of her brothers, sitting sour-faced in the bathroom, annoyed with anything that pulled them away from their playground friends.  
“Would she do that?” Mulder began to feel cautiously hopeful.  
“Of course” she smiled, glad he didn’t outright dismiss the idea, in fact a first trail of a smile showed on his face “I’ll call her right now”

“I feel silly” he kept looking down, feeling like a kid again. He remembered a little boy he saw once at the same barber shop he ran from, scared to the point of tears when his dad brought him in for his first haircut.  
“Fox, please, no need for that. We all know you went through a lot” Maggie’s warm hand on his arm was a small comfort, and he took that wherever he could find it these days, knowing he needed human connection more than ever “Just grab a chair and bring it to the bathroom, okay?”  
He did as instructed, slapping Scully’s hands away when she tried to pick up one and move it herself. She followed him to the bathroom.  
Maggie pointed to a spot by the mirror, a pair of scissors and a fine comb ready, a large towel in her hands.  
“Now sit down and let me look at you” she said with a warm smile, and as he sat in the chair, he could see Scully leaning against the doorframe, one hand resting on her belly and something warm in her eyes, a happy memory.  
“It’s not that bad, the barber was almost done” Maggie smiled at him through the mirror “I’m sure we can finish this in no time”  
She made him wet his hair again, then towel-dried them, rubbing his head vigorously, making him laugh as if he was a boy, not a grown man.  
“How are you feeling Dana?” She asked combing down his hair and looking at her daughter standing behind them.  
“She’s not sleeping well” Mulder said before Scully could answer, earning a narrow-eyed look.  
“Don’t listen to him mom, I feel fine” Maggie giggled glancing up from her comb and scissors, just in time to see Mulder roll his eyes, almost exactly the same way Dana did many times.  
“It’s normal at this stage, all four of you were very lively”  
“That’s putting it mildly” Scully laughed, glancing down fondly “I feel like there’s a baseball practice in there every night”  
“When I was pregnant with you, your father’s presence worked wonders to ease the pain of such nights, he was at home for almost five months right until you were born and a few months after that”  
Maggie told them about nights, when she woke up craving pickles and glazed doughnuts, or how long baths helped her calm down, a habit she seemed to pass on to her daughter. Mulder laughed with Scully, and joked with her mom, and conversation turned his attention away from the comb gently scratching his neck and the sound of scissors cutting away bits of hair.  
“We spent a lot of time together and it’s probably why your bond was so strong through the years. You and your father have truly connected”  
“And you believe those days made the difference?” Mulder asked, hoping to give Scully one more reason for them to stay together.  
“I believe that a baby should be around both of it’s parents” Maggie took a step back and looked at him appraisingly “Now, will you look at that, what a handsome young man”  
“You still have the touch, mom” Scully came closer and brushed a few strands to the side the way she liked, smiling approvingly and with that, the towel was gone and Maggie’s work was done.  
“Thank you” Mulder turned to her and kissed her cheek lightly, finding it hard to speak anything more, for fear he might choke up again, but for completely different reasons.  
“Don’t mention it, it’s what family is for, to help each other out” Maggie said hugging him tight.

**Author's Note:**

> Part of Leiascully’s October Fic Fest  
> One more because of the hair thing.


End file.
